QUINOA, SWEET POTATO AND BROCCOLI FRITTERS

Actually, Billie is making some other patties here

 It's well and truly fritter season in our household. And we're partial to patties too.

Billie Bites is back with a wad of inspiring recipes after a rather long summer break.

I'll admit I've been hiding a little due to a bit of an extra fussy faze - not mentioning anyone in particular...

But I can now report two solutions for dealing with that fussy toddler: Get them cooking. Make fritters. Oh, there's one more - make patties.

So stay tuned for the play-out of Toddler Master Chef. It helps that Billie actually loves cooking. Really. I can't get her out of the kitchen.

Here's the first in our series of fritters and patties - otherwise known as 'hide the vegetable'.

But they are tasty. And multi-functional. Today I wrapped a warm pile of these straight out of the frying pan to serve at Billie's friend Henry's third birthday party. I think the adults devoured them before the kids got a look-in. Except for Billie - who barely moved from the food  table.

I've been busting for ages to experiment with quinoa in a patty or fritter. I'm very happy with this result - and Billie gobbled back a plateful for dinner this weekend.

QUINOA, SWEET POTATO AND BROCCOLI FRITTERS

These are kind of in between fritters and patties - in that the mixture is too wet to form into solid patties but not quite as wet as a traditional fritter. It works well though.

This makes quite a large batch, but the mixture keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days. Half it though if you like. And it's gluten-free (provided you use tamari rather than soy sauce). 

1 cup Quinoa

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cup water

1 large sweet potato (use the purple-skinned kumara if possible)

1 head of broccoli

butter (optional)

2 eggs, lightly whisked

freshly ground black pepper

olive oil

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

three spring onions, finely chopped (or use one brown onion)

handful mushrooms, finely chopped (optional)

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2-3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce (depending on how salty you like)

1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar (optional)

coconut oil (or olive or rice bran oil)

Peel sweet potato and chop into smallish pieces. Steam until soft enough to mash. Chop broccoli and add to steamer about half way through.

Meanwhile, rinse quinoa and place in small pot with water and salt. Bring to boil with lid on, then turn right down low and simmer with lid on until water is absorbed. DON'T STIR. To check if water absorbed simply tilt pan. It will take about 15-20 mins. Once absorbed remove pot from heat and leave to stand with lid off for about 5-10 minutes.

While this is all on the boil, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy frying pan. Saute onions, garlic and mushrooms (if using) on a medium heat until nicely softened. Add spices and black pepper and stir for 30 seconds.

Mash sweet potato and broccoli, adding a dollop of butter if you fancy. Combine with rest of ingredients. Check seasoning.

When ready to fry heat heavy frying pan over low-medium heat with large tablespoon of coconut oil (or other oil). Dollop a tablespoon of mixture into pan, and repeat until pan is full. Leave room to flip.

Try not to flip too soon - they take longer than you think and will break up if you flip too early. Try them gently with the flipper - when done they will turn easily. Cook on other side for a few minutes, until browned. It's better to be slightly overcooked than under cook when it comes to fritters. Place on a plate lined with newspaper, recycled printed paper or paper towels (newspaper actually works very well and saves on buying all those paper towels).

Add more oil to pan and repeat. 

Delicious hot, warm or cool. No sauce needed but a salad on the side is nice.

SAUCE-LESS CHUNKY PASTA

Black bean pasta with pumpkin, mushrooms and feta

 Saucy pasta can be a bit messy with toddlers and babies. Especially while they insist on eating with their hands.

An Auckland restaurant I worked in when I was 17 made these chunky-style sauce-less pasta dishes. Sometimes the chefs at Sour Dough used to whip up some for the kitchen-hands, and I'm still trying to mimic those tasty lunches.

The great thing about this way of serving pasta is that anything goes. Almost.
Here's the version I made the other night, but I've also added a list of good vegetarian alternatives at the bottom.

SPAGHETTI WITH ROAST PUMPKIN, FETA, BROCCOLI, MUSHROOMS AND PESTO

I used a black bean spaghetti for a healthier, more interesting dish but any will do. The black noodles didn't score so well in the office lunch-envy stakes. But Billie sucked them up with gusto.

Packet of spaghetti or other pasta

1/4 pumpkin, skinned and chopped into bite sized chunks

1 broccoli head, washed and chopped into chunks

3-4 spring onions

garlic

handful of mushrooms - large brown ones better but button will do

half block feta, chopped/crumbled

fresh pesto

Roast pumpkin in olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Before adding pasta, get broccoli and mushrooms cooking. Saute mushrooms in hot cast-iron pan with a little olive oil and butter. You'll need to cook in several lots in a single layer. Cook on medium-high until just browned. Cook broccoli in little bit of water or in steamer until tender. Fry up spring onions and a couple of cloves of chopped garlic in some oil, or add to mushrooms.

While all this is going on, cook pasta. Drain and stir few generous tablespoons of pesto through. Pour into large serving bowl and gently stir through cooked vegetables and feta.

Chunky pasta dishes also work well: cherry tomatoes, red onions, olives, artichokes, capers, ricotta, courgette/zucchini, red pepper/capsicum, aubergine/eggplant, walnuts, English spinach, asparagus, rocket, fresh herbs, blue cheese, peas, sun-dried tomatoes etc etc.

If you've been missing your billie bites of culinary inspiration the past few weeks, I do have a good explanation for my absence. The first program I was assigned upon my return to the office was food-related...'Organic Food'. Check out the link below:
  
http://news.sbs.com.au/insight/episode/index/id/322